Havnen i Antibes 1913 - 1919

Paul Signac made this small drawing of Antibes, we don't know exactly when, but it was probably in preparation for a larger painting. The pastel strokes are placed intuitively, as Signac seems to be enjoying the process of building up the image with layers of color. Notice how the textured paper support is integrated into the overall effect; the pastel only partly covers the surface, allowing the ground to show through. The mountains in the background are a great example: they're described with looping blue lines which leave a lot of the paper exposed, so the mountains almost seem to shimmer in the light. I like the small boat sitting in the water in the foreground too. You can see the reflections of different colours in the water beneath it. Signac was fascinated by the play of light and color. His work reminds me of Camille Pissarro, who experimented with impressionistic techniques and also captured scenes of everyday life. Like Pissarro, Signac reminds us that art is not just about representation, but also about the joy of seeing.